Leveling device for gymnastic apparatus



Oct. 17, 1967 ca. P. NISSEN ET AL 3,347,508

LEVELING DEVICE FOR GYMNASTIC APPARATUS Filed Oct. 4, 1965 I4 '13., /4 l 2 l I INVENTORS GEORGE I? NISSEN HARLAN J. KELLY ATTORNEY United States PatentjO 3,347,508 LEVELING DEVICE FOR GYMNASTIC APPARATUS George P. Nissen and Harlan J. Kelly, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, assignors to Nissen Corporation, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, a corporation of Iowa Filed Oct. 4, 1965, Ser. No. 492,637 1 Claim. (Cl. 248188.4)

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A leveling device for floor supported gymnastic apparatus such as side horses, parallel bars, uneven parallel bars and bucks. The device in its preferred form includes an outer fixed elastomeric pad secured to the underside of a floor engaging member of the apparatus and an inner adjustable pad of similar material received Within the outer pad. The inner pad is threaded into the floor engaging member so that it may be turned up to lie wholly within the fixed pad or adjustably down beyond the latter to engage the fioor and level the apparatus.

Background of the invention Gymnastic apparatus of the kinds concerned is usually equipped with base pads of suitable material on the undersides of their legs, or whatever supporting means is employed in a particular case, in order both to protect the gymnasium floor and to better locate the apparatus. It is desirable, when four or more points of rest are present, to provide some means, as by adjustment of one or more of the base pads, to compensate for unevenness of the gymnasium floor or misalignment of the legs or base so that the apparatus will sit both vertically upright and firmly without rocking. Even in the case of apparatus having but three points of rest it may be desirable to have one or more base pads adjustable in order to compensate for misalignment of the apparatus or the gymnasium floor which would otherwise prevent the apparatus from assuming a true vertical position. If in each case the entire base pad itself is rendered adjustable, as for instance by disposing it on the lower end of a stud whose other end in turn is then threaded up into the leg or base, there is always the danger the pad may become lost or he accidentally disengaged during the leveling process, thus in either case permitting the leg or base to contact the floor directly with consequent loss of stability of the apparatus and damage to the floor.

Summary the invention The chief object of the present invention is therefore to provide a protective base pad which is adjustable to provide for leveling of the gymnastic apparatus and yet at the same time protects the gymnasium floor should it become detached. Briefly described, the foregoing is accomplished by fashioning the pad in two parts, one of which is permanently attached to the leg or base and the other of which is adjustable with respect thereto. Thus, should the latter portion become disengaged, the former is always present to prevent floor damage. This and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the preferred form thereof, being the best mode contemplated for carrying out the present invention.

Brief description of the drawings FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the underside of a portion of the base of a typical piece of gymnastic appa- 3,347,508 Patented Oct. 17, 1967 ratus for which the present invention is particularly designed; and

FIGURE 2 is a sectional view taken along the lines 22 of FIGURE 1.

Description of the preferred embodiment Gymnastic apparatus for which the present invention is designed is well known and thus needs no particular description. As an example, reference may be had to US. Patent 3,184,232 to George P. Nissen illustrating a set of low parallel bars having legs or base assemblies of the particular kind illustrated in the present drawings. Such legs or base assemblies employ a pair of flattened steel tubes 10, 11 laid side by side and joined by suitable means, such as welding, to provide adjacent co-planar undersurfaces 12, tubes 10, 11 being closed at their outer ends by protective end plugs 13. The undersurfaces 12 of tubes 10, 11 receive a generally square metal mounting plate 14 below which and generally congruent therewith is a fixed base pad 15 of suitable elastomeric material capable of frictionally gripping the floor. Mounting plate 14 is sandwiched between fixed pad 15 and undersurfaces 12 so that the assembly spans the two tubes 10, 11 adjacent their outer ends and is permanently secured thereto by suitable screws 16 (one of which is illustrated) therethrough or other means adjacent each of the four corners of fixed pad 15 and threaded up into tubes 10 and 11. The lower, floor engaging surface of fixed pad 15 is preferably counterbored so that the screw heads are sunk there within.

Fixed pad 15 is provided with a circular, centrally disposed aperture 17 through its upper and lower surfaces which receives therein a leveling base pad 18 circular in shape and of the same material as fixed pad 15, having a diameter nearly equal to that of aperture 17. Leveling pad 18 is fitted with a centrally located stud 19 projecting upwardly therefrom and threadedly engaging a nut or boss 20 on the underside of plate 14 aligned in turn with an opening 21 in the latter through which the upper end of stud 19 may extend if necessary. The thickness of leveling pad 18 is sufficiently less than that of fixed pad 15 in order that the former may be turned up enough so that the lower surfaces of both pads are co-planar without intereference from nut or boss 20. Accordingly, leveling pad 18 may be rotated to cause its lower surface to lie more or less below the lower surface of fixed pad 15. While one such base pad may be sufficient in many cases, the use of two or more will accommodate a wide range of discrepancies in both the apparatus and the floor. At

the same time should any such pad 18 become lost or accidentally disengaged, its surrounding fixed pad 15 will still be available to prevent injury to the gymnasium floor.

Though the present invention has been described with reference to a particular application and detailed descriptive language has been used, it is nevertheless not so limited. Instead, the following claim is to be read as encompassing all modifications and adaptations of the invention falling within the spirit and scope thereof.

We claim:

A leveling device for a floor engaging supporting member of gymnastic apparatus, said device including a mounting plate fittable horizontally beneath said supporting member, a fixed base pad secured to and beneath received within said fixed-pad aperture and having a lower floor engaging surface parallel to said surface of said fixed pad, rotation of said leveling pad and spindle being effective to continually vary the distance between said pad surfaces from a position wherein said leveling pad surface is above to a position wherein it is below said fixed pad surface, both of said pads being constituted of elastomeric material effective to frictionally engage the floor.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Wooley 248188.4 Sterner 248-1884 Brown 248-188.4 X Schwartz 248188.4 Nissen 272-63 CHANCELLORVE. HARRIS, Primary Examinen 

